Locomotive steam pipes



- 1, 21" 0 March 22,1927. L. RED 6 LOCOMOTIVE STEAM PIPES Filed. June 22. 1925 s Sheets-Sheetl w. 1.. REID LOCOMOTIVE STEAM PIPES March 22, 1927.

Filed June 22. 923 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR hffld ATTORNEYS March 22, 1927.

w. L. REID LOCOMOTIVE STEAM PIPES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 22, 1923 Q .INVENTOR %//6 d Patented Mar. 122, 1927.

UNITED )STATES 1,621,600" P EN OFF C WILLIAM REID, or IMA, c1110.

" LOCOMOTIVE STEAMV'PIPES.

Application filedJune 22, 1923. Serial No. 647,138.

1 Thisinvention relates to steam pipes for locomotives andone oftthe primary ob ects of the invention is to provid'e'a construction in which there is flexibility in the steam pipes suflicient to overcome the following difliculties. i f V i It has been found that there is a measur-. able diflerence inexpansion between the steam pipes in the smoke box and the smoke box itself. The smoke box is, of course, subject to the heat of the smoke box gases, but it is also exteriorly cooled by the a r, and is cooler than the steam pipes which are partly encased in the smoke box and surrounded by smoke box gases for a portion of their length. The steam pipes expand more than the smoke box and, therefore, there is a very serious strain and upward thrust at the connection between the steam pipes and the superheater header or the throttle, as the case may be. In standard practice, the steam pipe lines leading to each cylinder from the superheater header or from the throttle are made in single castings which are heavy and unyielding and which, therefore, transmit these expansion strains directly to the connection to the V header or to the throttle.

In operation, it is not at all infrequent that the expansion of the steam pipes wrenches the header loose from its connection to the flue sheet or that the throttle is pushed upwardly in the smoke box and the smoke box shell or throttle case distorted, necessitating resort to frequent repairs. s 7

My invention is designed to overcome these difficulties. j

The foregoing, together withsuch other objects as may hereinafter appear,or are incident to my invention, I obtain by means of a construction which I have illustrated in preferred form 'in' the accompanying drawings, wherein: i

Fig. 1 is adiagrammatic side elevation of a portion of a locomotive boiler and smoke box, partiallybroken out to illustrate the application of my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2.2 of Fig. 1, both Fig. 1 and Fig. 2showing an arrangement in which the steam pipes are connected to the superheater header.

Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation and section, correspondin to Fig. 1,but illustrating the application my improvements to an I arrangement inwhich thesteam pipes are connected to a throttle in advance of the superheater header;- and Fig. .4: is a section taken onthe line 1-"4 of Fig.3. v 4

. Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2,..tl1ef int erence. numeral 7 indicates the forward end of thewboiler of the locomotive, having the usual "fluesheet- 8 in advance of which is the smoke. box 9. Adry-pipe 10 leads frond-the,

dome llrto the flue sheet 8 where connection is made to the inlet side of the superheater header 12 by means of the usual joint 13, the superheater header being bolted to the flue sheet in the usual manner. The steam pipes, indicated as a whole by the reference letter A, lead from the outlet side of the superheater header 12 to. the valve chests 14, re-

spectively.

Each steam pipe is connected tothe supers heater header and to the respective valve chest by means of the joints 15 and 16.

These joints are ,of standard flanged type, customarily employed in steam pipes and have a certain amount of aligning flexibility,

for which purpose the male and female mem bers are usually made with their interengag- 111g portions spherical.

It will be noted, however, that each steam pipe, instead of being made as a single castting, as heretofore, is composed of two sec- 7 tions 17 and 18, which sections are connected together by a joint 19 of the same character as the joints 15 and 16. These joints are angularly disposedwith. reference'to one, an-1 other, as will be clearoninspection ofthe drawings, and the arrangementiisjsuch as to provide a measure, of flexibility in'the steam pipes sufficient to take care of the greater expansion-off the .steam pipes, with? coupling between the superheater header and the flue sheet heretofore described.

out imposing the strains or thrust on, the

In the arrangement of Figs. 3 and 4, the dry pipe 10 is located exteriorly of the boiler,

and the steam pipes, instead of being coupled to the superheater header 12, are connected 1 to the throttle casing 20, which is located in advance of the stack 21 and is connected to the superheater header by the member 22, coupled to the superheater header by a j oim 23 of the construction before described. The

throttle casing 20 is supported from the smoke box shell andthe steam pipes are of substantially the same construction and ar: rangement as in Figs. 1 and 2,'the ends of the steam pipes being connected respectively to the throttle casing and the chest by joints 15 and 16, and the two'sections of each steam pipe being connected by a joint 19, such. as described. r

The arrangement of FlgS. 3 and 4 also provides a measure of flexibility suflicient to.

take care of the greater expansion of the steam pipes Without distorting the throttle casing or imposing material thrust on its support.

WVhat I claim is:

1.. In av locomotive, the combination of a smoke box, a dry pipe, a steam supplycasting in the smoke box receiving steam from said dry pipe, a valve chest, a section of steam pipe having a jointed connection to said steam supply casting, a second section of steam pipe angularly disposed. with re spectto the first section and having a jointed connection to said valve chest, and a jointed connection between the other ends of said sections.

2. In. a locomotive, the combination of a smoke box, a dry pipe, a superheater header in. the smoke box receiving steam from said dry pipe, a valve chest, a section of steam pipe having a jointed connection to said superheater header, a second section of steam pipe having a jointed connection. to said valve chest, and a jointed connection between the other ends of said sections which is angularlydisposed with respect to one of said other jointed connections.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name. 7

.WI'LLIAM L.- REID. 

